Written by

Russ Zimmer

@russzimmer

Route 35 update

Here’s what state officials said to expect along Route 35 this summer: • No work will be done on any of the 12.5 miles of roadway between May 22 and May 27 to accommodate Memorial Day travelers; • All construction will be paused in Mantoloking and Bay Head from May 22 until September 3; • Work will be halted on northbound Route 35 between Brown and Bond avenues in Lavallette on May 22 until September 3; • In Toms River and Brick, work will continue on both directions of the highway — though one lane each way will be open — in between Curtis Point in Brick and Strickland Boulevard in Toms River; • Construction on Route 35 will stop on June 13 and will resume on September 3 in Berkley, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park and Toms River; • Work will continue on side streets throughout the project area, with the exception of Mantoloking and Bay Head.

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SEASIDE HEIGHTS — The traffic construction nightmare that residents have had to endure along Route 35 will be put on hold this summer season — even as officials here admit that the Seasides’ boardwalk may not be rebuilt until July 4.

During a briefing for residents, state officials said work for all but 2.5 miles of the $265 million highway project, which includes building a 4-mile-long steel seawall, will pause for most of the summer.

“We truly understand that you want nothing more than for life to return to normal, and we are doing everything we can to bring that about as soon as possible,” said Joe Dee, chief of staff at the New Jersey Department of Transportation, to a roomful of residents and local government leaders at the Seaside Heights Community Center Tuesday.

But the fact that construction will continue along a stretch in Toms River worries resident Janet Doremus, who thinks the entire project should be shut down during the summer for safety reasons.

“Everybody walks to the beach,” she said. “I’m concerned about children, pedestrians, people that are pushing baby carriages. ... I’ve almost been hit twice by some of this heavy equipment.”

Meanwhile, Steve Sherill of Ortley Beach said before the meeting that sluggish construction could turn the community into a “ghost town.”

“The longer it goes on, the more of a ghost town we’ll have,“ he said.

But while the state is promising to get contractors and equipment out of the way of tourism-dependent businesses, the section of boardwalk that connects Seaside Heights and Seaside Park remains unfinished and likely won’t be ready for Memorial Day.

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“Is it possible? Yes, but I wouldn’t count on it,” said Kim Pascarella, a member of one of the families that make up Belle Freeman Properties, which owns the 250-foot stretch of boardwalk property between Dupont and Porter avenues.

Pascarella, a local attorney, said they were hoping to complete the boardwalk before July 4.

The mayors of Seaside Heights and Seaside Park, whose boardwalks are joined by the Belle Freeman segment, were otherwise upbeat about the summer prospects.

“As far as the municipality goes, we’re going to be 100 percent ready to go at the start of the summer,” Seaside Heights Mayor William Akers said.

Seaside Park Mayor Robert Matthies said he was concerned about how the work along the highway —“our Main Street,” as he called it — would affect the charm of his community.

Akers said he had “every confidence” that the state would do its best to ensure a productive tourism season. The individual communities had to each do their part as well, he added.

“I firmly believe that when the entire barrier island does better as a whole, then each municipality will do better individually, so I think it’s important for everybody to be ready from Day 1,” Akers said.